


The Grey Where We Live Between Wrong and Right

by Miffy



Series: A Touch Of Grey, A Hint Of Silver [1]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Politics, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Marriage of Convenience, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-10-27 16:57:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10813077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miffy/pseuds/Miffy
Summary: When Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen discover they got married after a night with too many drinks, they decide to use the marriage as a tool to fast track their careers. To Peeta's surprise he catches feelings he didn't think he could ever feel for his stubborn, badass and closed-off colleague.That's when the real problems start.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time for some "accidently married let's use this for our careers, oops we're in love now" fun :D
> 
> This is set in the fictional country of The United Provinces of Panem. I kept the whole politics thing as vague as possible and what is discussed is based on Veep, but since this is set in a fictional world they’re playing by my rules ;)
> 
> Hope you enjoy, sorry for any overlooked mistakes.

Alcohol.

It was both the cause of and solution to many problems in one’s life.

Peeta Mellark had experienced it healing his heart when he’d gotten drunk the night he learned he was his girlfriend’s dirty little secret and he and his girlfriend’s fiancé had gotten drunk together, thus becoming a lifelong friend. It was the best trade Peeta had ever made: a cheating asshole girlfriend for a loyal, smart, and overall amazing new best friend. And he’d never gotten Finnick Odair as a friend if alcohol hadn’t been there.

Alcohol worked like a pair of pink sunglasses – it made everything look so much prettier, brighter, perfect. It made strangers hotter and funnier, and it made Peeta a better dancer. Before the inevitable hangover it made him relaxed and loose, and sometimes it made Peeta forget the fucked up shit in his life.

Unfortunately though, alcohol also had its flaws. It could make Peeta do things that he’d never do with a clearheaded mind. It could leave him wondering in the morning, when it had erased some memories of the night before. Not to mention the hangover or the alcohol poisoning it could give one… 

So, Peeta knew alcohol had both its pros and cons, but he vowed to _never_ drink again when he woke up naked next to Katniss Everdeen, his supposed nemesis, in a hotel bed, and memories of the night before came rushing back.

His mouth was dry, his head was pounding like someone was using a jack hammer inside of his brain, and the early rays of sunshine that had the guts to seep through the curtains were way too bright. It was nothing he hadn’t experienced before, but the memories that flashed through his mind as Peeta awoke, of a small white chapel and Katniss Everdeen kissing him back after a Whoopi Goldberg impersonator told him to kiss his bride, were _definitely_ new.   

_Holy fuck, what the hell did we do last night?_

Peeta immediately sat up straight, startled by the wedding related images that were flashing before his eyes. Everdeen stirred awake next to him and groaned as her palm connected to her brow. “Jesus..” her voice was hoarse, probably from all the whiskey they’d drank the night before that had led to the mistake of a lifetime.

Peeta made sure that the blanket was covering _everything_ below his hips, before he turned to the woman lying next to him. “Everdeen, wake up,” he said, as he shook her shoulder to speed up the process.

“Fuck, give a girl a minute,” she complained, and she tried to turn over and catch a few more minutes of sleep.

“No, get up!” Peeta insisted, and his head painfully throbbed inside of his skull. “We have some serious shit to sort out.” There he was, realising what had happened the night before, completely freaking out because of the fact they got fucking _married_ , and her biggest concern was not getting enough rest.

“Jesus, Mellark, you never hooked up with anyone before?” she grumbled, clearly annoyed by his hysterics. “We just get dressed, go our separate ways, and never speak of it again,” she raised her head and looked at him in challenge, “Unless you want to have a second round?”

“Everdeen, we didn’t _just_ hook up,” he started, voice as calm as it could be given the situation. “We got _married_.”

Katniss gave him an unimpressed look, while she sorted out her memories in her hangover stricken brain. The annoyed and confused look got replaced by one of shocked realisation, when she had put two and two together. “Holy fuck,” she quickly jumped out of bed, still buck naked and giving Peeta quite the view, walked over to the little desk in the room, and picked up a piece of paper.

“What’s that?” Peeta wanted to know.

“Our marriage licence,” she answered, eyes trained on the paper.

“Well, I guess it’s good we haven’t lost it – we need it to get a divorce,” he said. “Or an annulment. Let’s keep this nightmare to ourselves, by the way,” Peeta continued. “There’s no need in everyone finding out about this debacle: this could permanently stain our careers. Not to mention the embarrassment about everyone and their uncle knowing we got so wasted we thought it would be a good idea to get married..”

“Agreed.” Everdeen’s eyes flickered over the licence, she seemed to be deep in thought and was quiet for a moment. “But first things first – we need to get to our meeting.”

*

Peeta Mellark was the Chief of Staff of Head Representative Gloss DuBois, and Katniss Everdeen was his Campaign Manager. They’d known each other for two years before that fateful morning where they woke up as husband and wife, and their first meeting wasn’t anything _anyone_ liked to remember. Neither did Peeta like to remember _any_ of his meetings with Everdeen after that one, because they always ended in disasters.

Katniss had made it very clear to him that she didn’t have an ounce of respect for him, thinking he only got his job because of the influence of his parents, a Head Representative and a restaurant tycoon, and his godfather, the former President Remus Undersee. Katniss thought Peeta was privileged and lucky, and he knew he was, but he got everything he had on his own by working his ass off: his diploma, his job, his apartment, his friends.

Katniss resented him for growing up with a silver spoon in his mouth, something Peeta had absolutely no control over, but she wasn’t the first to treat him with that attitude – and he knew she wouldn’t be the last. Peeta hoped that once he’d proven how great he was at his job, she’d back down, but she never treated him any kinder. She just became more indifferent towards him.

However, even Katniss had to admit that they worked _really_ well together – they seemed to complete each other and became a force to be reckoned with. That was the only reason Gloss DuBois hadn’t fired both of their asses by then: he was a moron, but not an idiot.

After getting dressed, Peeta made his way to the meeting he had with his boss and the rest of the team. Gloss Dubois was running for President and was making a tour through the country where he visited at least one town in each province to introduce himself as a nominee for the upcoming elections. That afternoon Dubois was going to give a speech at a university before giving a live interview at a local news station, so they needed to add the finishing touches to ensure the day would be a memorable one.

The hotel they stayed at had provided them a conference room where they could have their meeting and eat breakfast in private. The moment Peeta walked in, all eyes in the room landed on him.

“There is our lucky groom,” Johanna Mason, the senior strategist of the team, said coolly, lips in a thin line. Her hostile attitude towards him proved nothing good of the rest of the team.

And yes, Johanna seemed to be the only one bold enough to say anything; the rest of the team remained silent. Delly Cartwright, DuBois’s assistant, looked at him, her blue eyes betraying her uncomfortableness; Thresh Johnson, director of communications, looked less than amused, and his boss, Gloss Dubois, looked like he was about to explode.

Peeta’s swallowed. “How do you—“

“It’s all over the internet,” Johanna waved the iPad she was holding, referring to the blogs she’d been reading.

_Fuck._

His mother, one of the thirteen Head Representatives of Panem, was going to murder him.

“Good morning,” Everdeen said, as she entered the room, and then everyone’s attention shifted to her.

Apparently, seeing both Peeta and Katniss in the room was enough for Gloss to lose his temper. “Have you two _any_ idea what you’ve done to us? How your drunken escapade has tainted my campaign?” Gloss angrily yelled, the vein in his brow pumping furiously. “Instead of the news covering _anything_ about my tour or the plans I have when I become _president_ , or anything else about _me_ , they’re telling the story of how two of my employees got wasted in this shithole of a town and got married in a cheap chapel! How can the people think I’m a _respectable_ man with _solid_ ideals and ideas, when my employees are running around like horny teenagers during work hours?! I should fire the both of you _right now_!”

“Please, sir, don’t—“ Peeta tried, before his boss cut him off.

“Shut up, Mellark! What are you two going to do about this situation?” Gloss demanded to know.

Peeta and Katniss shared a look. “We’re figuring it out,” he answered, before heading over to the breakfast buffet that was waiting for them, to get a croissant.

*

 **Finnick 10:37am:** _I’m very disappointed I didn’t get to be your best man_

_Or even an invite to the wedding of a LIFETIME_

_If your glassy eyes are to be believed_

_:P_

 

 **YOU 10:40am:** _Shut up…_

*

“Son, please tell me this nightmare of a situation is happening to a different Peeta Mellark,” his mother barked into his ear when he picked up his cell after lunch.

“Unfortunately not, Mother.”

“Is this really a legally accredited marriage?!”

Peeta sighed and pinched his brow. “Don’t worry, Mother, we’re getting a divorce and then this whole thing will be forgotten by the end of the week.”

“Don’t be naïve, Peeta,” her mother scolded. “This will haunt you until your last days. Not to mention what this does to _my_ career – what do you think having a wild, irresponsible son will do to my reputation?!”

“I’m sorry this is inconvenient for you,” Peeta said through gritted teeth, unable to remove the bite in his tone. “My apologises for how you can’t spin _this_ into a nice front page story.” He never spoke to his mother in a disrespectful manner, but he’d hoped that _now_ at least, in this situation, she’d be more compassionate. But, of course that was hoping for too much.

“Watch your tone, Peeta Mellark!” Mrs. Mellark spat, before sighing condescendingly. “You’ve always lived in the public eye, son, you know what the rules of the game are. But believe it or not,” she continued. “I’m more worried about _your_ career. I presume you don’t want to be DuBois’s Chief of Staff forever, and that means that it’s important that the people hold you in high regard. An action like this could mean they’ll lose faith in you.”

“Because I got divorced _once_?” Peeta asked disbelieving.

“Because you got _wasted_ and married a nobody in a tacky chapel in Jackerville. No one’s going to vote for someone they believe to be a _useless partygoer slash drunk_ ,” his mother answered.

Peeta bit his lip and stayed silent, even though he wanted to bite his mother’s head off for _everything_ she’d said in her last remarks. But, there was one thing he wanted even more: to become the leader of the Thirteen United Provinces of Panem one day. He wanted to be Panem’s President ever since he was a young child and if he stayed on this path he would be certain to succeed in 20 years. Nothing was getting in the way of achieving that goal, especially not a humiliating drunk mistake. 

“Think wisely, Peeta,” his mother advised him. “And try to spin whatever you decide into a positive story – people don’t forget anything and they’ll use it against you whether it benefits them or not.”

*

The whole day had been exhausting, and even more so because of the predicament Peeta had found himself in when he woke up that morning. He decided to have dinner in his hotel room so he could think, in a private silence, what the best course of action was. Everything inside of him screamed that the rational thing to do was get an annulment, but there was this tiny part of him that agreed with his mother. This marriage could have disastrous consequences to not only his and Katniss’s careers, but also to Gloss’s, Delly’s, Johanna’s and Thresh’s – his colleagues shouldn’t suffer because of their mistake.

Peeta played with his dinner. Maybe they could spin this whole disaster into a positive story for Gloss’s campaign? God only knew they could use a boost in the polls. Something romantic happening during this parade could do the trick…

After some thinking and spiralling, he remembered he wasn’t the only one with the exact same problem, and that the choice wasn’t only his’, so he went to Katniss. “You have time to talk?” he asked her when she opened her door for him.

Katniss gave him a once over. “Sure,” she decided on and she let him into her hotel room. “I would offer you a drink, but I can’t say the last time ended very well when we drank some booze together.”

Peeta snorted. “Smart thinking,” he agreed and he sat down in one of the chairs while Katniss sat down on her bed.

“So, we both know why you’re here,” Katniss started. “I already informed my lawyer, he said we can get a quick divorce,” she informed him.

Peeta took a deep breath, thinking the extra oxygen would change his mind. It didn’t, so he went for it. “Or we could just stay married, it would spare us that whole stain-on-our-careers thing we were so worried about.”

“Funny,” Katniss said dryly, but when he didn’t reply, her grey eyes couldn’t help but widen in shock. Peeta cocked an eyebrow at her, patiently waiting for her reaction. “Absolutely not! Are you insane?!” she protested loudly, fists balling up out of anger.

Peeta held up one of his large hands. “Just hear me out for a minute,” he started. “We got into a very unique situation—“

“Absolutely. But, not a difficult one – we’re _not_ staying mar—“

“Please just listen to me. Yes, we could get a divorce, get it over and done with. But, we could also use this marriage to put an extra spotlight on Gloss’s campaign. And our own careers.”

“Like you need an extra spotlight,” Katniss replied, with a roll of her eyes.

“An extra positive one never hurt anybody,” Peeta pointed out, jokingly. “Katni— _Everdeen_ , I know you want to run this country someday. You get more chance of doing that if you stay married to _me_. Someone who also has a political background, who has money to finance your career, who isn’t unpopular with the people, who has connections on the inside.”

“The inside? Like your _mother_?” the dislike was clearly evident on her face when she got reminded of Mrs. Mellark – they definitely needed to work on Katniss’s poker face. That was, if she agreed to this business deal of a marriage he was proposing.

“For example. I promise you my father has kinder friends, though,” he said with a wink; Katniss huffed and rolled her eyes again. But, she hadn’t told him he could go fuck himself or had kicked him in his shins, or out of her room, so he knew there was still hope. So, Peeta continued. “Think about it, Everdeen. This could be a career maker for us if we play our cards right. Our marriage could be that little extra that DuBois needs to get elected – think about what it could mean for _us_ , if we worked for Panem’s _President_. Or Vice President, if Gloss can’t keep pretending he’s smart enough for the job and we get lucky.”

That, at least, got a small smile out of her.

“We could use this inconvenient hiccup to our advantage, Everdeen.”

Peeta could see Katniss was taking his words in consideration, that she was weighing down the pros and the cons. “Have you actually thought this through?” she asked when the wheels stopped spinning in her eyes. “This means we’ll be _married_. To _each other_ ,” she pursed her lips in disgust and this time it was Peeta himself who rolled his eyes.

“I know you well enough to know that your romantic life isn’t exactly a priority—“

“You don’t know a fuck about my romantic life!” Katniss glared, offended.

“Well, is it?” he prompted, unimpressed, and when she didn’t reply he continued. “Wouldn’t it be nice if your career had a back-up plan? That if DuBois loses the election you’d have the safety net of a high-profile marriage that could drag you through the loss, without losing much of your carefully built reputation?”

“High profile?”

“A lot of papers have picked up our story. We’re also a trending hashtag on Twitter, in case you missed that.”

Katniss pursed her lips. “You made it quite clear why I should stay married to you – but, tell me, why don’t you want to get a divorce? What’s in it for _you_?”

“You’re everything I am not,” he admitted, licking his lips. “You’re the daughter of an immigrant who worked in the mines. You have an inspirational backstory of how you made it all the way from Seamstate to Collins Capitol, where you eventually became the Campaign Manager of one of the thirteen Head Representatives of Panem. Your sister is a brain surgeon and a proud member of the LGBT+ community. I want to be President too, one day,” he explained, “With you I could appeal to voters who would otherwise never give me a second glance. And do it in 15 years.”

Katniss hummed. “If this works in our favour I have nothing to complain about, only that I have to stay married to _you_.”

“Don’t worry, Everdeen. It wouldn’t be a real marriage, anyway. We’ll get a large place where we’ll live in two different parts of the house. When our times as Presidents are over, we can get a divorce,” he licked his lips. “Or sooner, if it really is a nightmare – preferably after two years, right after DuBois has been appointed President.”

Katniss played with her braid as she thought it over. “So, a marriage that’s nothing more than one of convenience, a tool to fast-track our careers?”

“That’s what I’m proposing, yes.”

“Well, I never was one for romance.” Katniss’s grey eyes betrayed she’d accepted the challenge, something Peeta was strangely happy about. “You have a deal, Mellark.”

Peeta send her a smirk. “We’re married, Katniss – I think we’re on first name basis now.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up smut, feels and angst :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rated E for smut. 
> 
> Apologies for any mistakes. Hope you all will enjoy #2 :D

“Gold, silver, bronze, or rose gold?” Peeta asked Katniss when he walked into their living room.

“For what?” she asked confused.

“Our rings,” he answered, eyes glued to his iPhone, about to order their wedding bands.

“I have no clue. I’m not really the jewellery kind of girl.”

“So, I don’t have to get you an engagement ring?” he teased.

“Don’t bother,” she said with a slight smile.

Peeta’s eyes dropped back to his cell. “Silver it is then.” He sat down next to Katniss on their new couch where she was flipping through channels on the TV.

They’d just moved into a furnished two bedroom apartment (to keep up the appearance of the loving newlyweds they were pretending to be), had decorated the walls with photos of their families, paintings Peeta had made, and had filled the rooms with Katniss’s plants and music. It already felt more like a home to Peeta than the place he grew up in as a child, and he’d only lived here with Katniss for two months.

It was surprisingly easy to live with Katniss. After the initial weirdness had passed and they’d worked out all of the details of their fake marriage, they fell into a comfortable routine that had started all on its own. When Katniss was in the shower, Peeta shaved and made them breakfast, and when it was Peeta’s turn to take a shower, Katniss did her make-up. Within forty-five minutes they hopped into Peeta’s car and drove off to work together.

It was odd, because they’d barely been married for three months and they had never gotten along at work, but the two of them just _clicked_ now. He felt comfortable around her and they seemed to understand each other.

Mrs. Mellark had been quite pleased when Peeta told her about their decision to continue the charade; she was even more pleased when she saw the attention it gave her as the mother in law of Panem’s newest it-couple. Only Peeta had no idea how Katniss her parents felt about their fake nuptials – he figured she would mention it sooner or later, but she hadn’t brought it up yet. “How are your parents doing? You called them tonight, right?” Peeta asked, hoping that would get him anywhere.

Katniss turned her attention from the TV to give him a dubious look. “What’s this all about?”

“What’s what all about?”

“This,” she wiggled her finger back and forth between the two of them. “You asking me about my relatives and all.”

“It’s called being interested in my wife.”

His so-called wife cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Katniss, the next few years are going to be a lot more bearable if we _know_ one another—“

“We already _know_ each other,” she cut him off, prickly.

“Not as husband and wife should. We both had our reasons to go through with this marriage, but we need to be committed. I know you hate me—“

“I don’t _hate_ you,” Katniss said, shocked, and she seemed offended he would think so. “I don’t particularly _like_ you, but I don’t _hate_ you.”

“Oh, well, good,” Peeta responded, a little awkward. He rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s going to make things a lot easier,” he added, trying to lighten the mood. Katniss ignored his attempt.

“Why would you think I hate you?”

Peeta ran a hand through his blond curls, uncomfortable. “I don’t know… It’s not like we ever got along at work—“

“That’s because you always suggest ideas that are ridiculous, and you refuse to do what I think—“

“Or you just ignore me—“

Katniss huffed loudly. “You talk everyone’s ears off, no one has the time to listen to _everything_ you say.”

“You called me a _spoiled trust fund kid_ , Everdeen,” he protested. “Not hard to misread that one.”

“I was annoyed with you because you were whining that you had to attend some fancy dinner you didn’t want to go to. And no offense, but look at this TV,” Katniss pointed at the new 60 inch Samsung smart television he’d bought them. “You kind of are. I don’t know anyone who has a TV like this one. Let alone a family of four.”

Peeta winced. “I know, okay? I know how lucky and privileged I am, and that an average family in Panem could never afford this. That’s why I want to raise the minimum wage, make a better social benefits plan and close the wage gap between men and women when I’m in office. Among other things.”

Katniss looked at him with something he’d never seen from her before. Admiration, surprise, overall agreement. “Yeah… Me too.”

“Just because I come from a rich family doesn’t mean I don’t care about or want to help the poor. Or because I’m a man that I don’t believe in women’s rights. Or that because I never picked up an instrument I don’t want to subsidize afterschool music programs and etcetera. Don’t judge a book by its cover, Katniss.”

Katniss worried her lips, and his eyes dropped to the movement. Right before thoughts about her lips could take over his brain, she spoke. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed.”

Peeta send her a reassuring smile. “Water under the bridge,” he promised. “Want a beer?”

“I won’t say no to that.”  

 

* * *

 

 

One of the rules Peeta and Katniss agreed on was that they weren’t going to have affairs or even one night stands. If a story like that would come out, their whole charade was over.

Peeta had seen the reason behind the rule, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t hard. He’d always enjoyed a healthy sex life as an adult, and yes, he now masturbated almost every night, but jerking himself off was a poor substitute to having sex. He missed the feel of a woman’s skin against his own, of playing with boobs, of feeling that little sense of accomplishment when he’d made the girl in his arms orgasm multiple times – and he definitely missed cumming inside of a warm, wet vagina.

He was a little surprised to find out Katniss felt the same, but it definitely was a welcome surprise.

Peeta tried to go running a few times a week after work, to stay in shape, but that day his five miles were cut short because of the weather. He’d made it back home just in time before the thunder had begun, to find Katniss humping the bathtub when he went to their bathroom to take a shower.

Katniss was completely naked, her olive toned skin shimmering with sweat, one of her hands keeping some of her raven coloured locks out of her face, as she grinded her cunt against the tub. Her cheeks were red with anticipation of what she was working to get and her grey pupils had been swallowed by her irises, displaying a lustful look.

Katniss’s loud moan was halted when she saw him in the doorway and she stopped moving; except for her chest that was rising up and down due to her fast breathing. They looked at one another for a moment, a tense moment, where Peeta’s cock was twitching painfully against his running shorts. He was only a human being after all, and this was probably the hottest thing he had ever seen. Before her look of shock could morph into one of embarrassment, he asked, “You need some help?”

Katniss licked her lips, a gesture that went straight to his groin. “You can talk me through it..” she said softly, and she resumed her movements.

He swallowed a groan. “Fuck, Katniss, you have no idea how hot you look right now. Do you do this a lot?”

“My—“ she made a sound of pleasure, “vibrator broke in half.. And I really needed to get off.”

“Yeah, you did,” Peeta sounded hoarse, as his eyes took in her bouncing breasts. “Come on, Katniss, play with your tits for me.”

She listened willingly and a hand moved upwards immediately. Katniss wet her fingers with her tongue and she let out a low moan when her fingers started circling one of her beaded nipples. 

“How does that feel?” he asked, eagerly resuming the conversation.

“Real good,” Katniss answered, breathless. 

He groaned. “I bet it does.”

Katniss moved her feet backwards so she could lean forwards, and placed a hand in front of her body to keep her balance. The strokes she made became shorter and faster. “ _Ahhh_ ,” the sound that escaped her was delicious and the way her body tensed up let Peeta know Katniss really needed an orgasm. Badly. “I need something inside of me,” she begged.

Peeta swallowed away a groan. “Not yet,” he replied, gruff. “Just rub your cunt against the tub for a bit longer. Get your slit all soaking wet and pulsing— Yeah, just like that.”

“ _Oh_ , Peeta,” she panted and Peeta had to refrain himself from grabbing his hard cock and stroking himself.  

“I bet your clit is all erected, screaming for attention,” he continued.

“It is,” she whined.

The way Katniss looked all wound tight and panting made him certain she was a creature made by Aphrodite. “Let me see how you play with it.”

She coated her fingers with her cum so it would be easier to stimulate her bundle of nerves. “Fuck,” Katniss cursed as she touched herself, which quickly got followed by a string of delicious moans as her fingers got to work. Her legs began to tremble and Katniss moved with a desperation to chase her orgasm. But it seemed to be _just_ out of reach.

“How close are you? I bet that sweet release is just a few strokes away,” Peeta taunted the both of them. He couldn’t wait to see and hear Katniss cum, but he was enjoying the desperate state she was in far too much. Katniss was lost in her pleasure, her mind and body on the brink of breaking if she wouldn’t climax soon. But he loved prolonging her release, edging her.

Katniss scrunched her brow and let out a pained moan. “Almost there… But, not enough.”

Peeta was about to bust a nut. His dick was caged against his shorts, trembling all on its own, hopelessly seeking friction. He could feel a fire burning in his shaft, one that only could be put out by Katniss’s wet pussy. He wanted to fill his hands with her perky breasts, press her sweaty body against his own, bury his cock inside of her and make her scream in ecstasy.

They’d had sex before, but he only remembered bits and pieces – he wanted to redo the experience, sober this time.

Katniss halted her hasty movements and pressed her cunt hard against the tub; she was getting more desperate, restless, and let out a cry. “Fuck, _fuck_ , so close—“ she cut herself off with a gasp of relieve when three of her fingers disappeared inside her pussy. “Oh, yes,” she moaned.

“I bet your walls are clinging down on your fingers right now. Hungry for everything they can clasp onto, afraid it’ll be pulled out before you’re done.”

That seemed to be what brought Katniss over the edge. Peeta’s words and the way she was working on her own body had finally made her snap like a twig. Her lips parted in a perfect O and a song of pure pleasure filled the room. Her lean body shook when the waves of her orgasm came crashing over her, almost making him lose his resolve. She looked incredible as she reached her climax and it took her a moment to come back to the here and now. Peeta was sorry when her orgasm had ended; Katniss getting off on her fingers and his words was the most erotic experience he’d ever had, but he was also relieved; his cock was screaming with need and he needed to take care of himself as soon as possible.

Katniss noticed the significant bulge in his pants and made him cage her against the door, before pulling down his shorts and boxer brief. She guided his cock to her entrance and then silently asked him to enter her with her eyes.

Peeta and Katniss both let out a moan when he broke her drenched, warm walls. Filling Katniss up, finally having sex again, felt like finally drinking water again after months of wandering through a desert. The fire in his dick lost its hard edge, making it more bearable, but also ignited the rest of his body.

With every stroke he pushed against that special spot at the end of her vagina and he made sure he worked her G-spot, too. Peeta wanted to feel her having her orgasm around his cock, _because_ of his cock, and hear her make those sounds again.

“Yeah, _oh_ ,” she cooed, “Right there, Peeta, _ooh_.. Don’t stop, Peeta, don’t stop.”

But her tight, wet pussy proved too much for him. Peeta could feel himself tumbling into a torrid orgasm. He tried to spring Katniss along by twirling his thumb around her clit, but it was futile; the extra stimulation made Katniss let go of a sinful sound and her vagina tightened around his shaft. Peeta was in too deep – pun intended.

Her grey eyes filled with a small panic. “No, Peeta, please..” Katniss begged when she felt his cock starting to shake within her.

The look in her eyes definitely wasn’t helping. One more stroke and his load was shooting through her. Peeta came with a low, loud groan.

He needed a second to come back from his high, and when he did an embarrassment came over him. “Shit, Katniss, sorry,” Peeta started to apologise to the woman in front of him, who looked as tightly wound as a rope; her body flushed and trembling with need. Peeta had always made sure his partner got her orgasm before he got his own release, but something about Katniss made him feel like a teenager again – one who didn’t have a lot of stamina, apparently. “I promise you that next time you will get at least two from me.”

Katniss huffed. “Next time?”

Peeta slid two of his fingers inside of her. “If you want to,” and the way her walls welcomed the intrusion told him she wanted to.

He sucked hickeys on her tits and finger fucked her until she came. Twice.

 

* * *

 

 

Turned out Katniss liked giving someone hickeys as much as Peeta did. She’d sucked ones on his abs and left a very visible imprint of her lips on his neck. They could all be easily hidden under his work attire, but when Peeta went out to meet his friends, Finnick and Thom, for a beer, he wore his regular, more comfortable clothes. Peeta should’ve thought it through more, but he hadn’t, so the first thing Finnick did when Peeta joined them was wolf whistle and Thom just grinned.

“Finally getting those perks that comes with being married, huh?” Thom smirked, eyeing the bruise decorating his neck.

Finnick handed Peeta the beer his friends had already ordered him and Peeta smiled in thanks. “Tell us the dirty story,” the redhead requested, teasingly, and the blond in question rolled his eyes.

Peeta and Katniss had had sex almost every day after that time in their bathroom. It was a fun way to blow off steam for the both of them and to satisfy their needs. The sex between them was always on point; Peeta seemed to be attuned to Katniss, and every orgasm was better than the last one. It was needless to say, Peeta enjoyed it _very_ much. Katniss did too; they hadn’t slept separately since they started hooking up. However, Peeta wasn’t willing to share that whole story with his far too curious friends.

“Have to disappoint there; it’s nothing dirty. We just decided to add having sex to the fake marriage.”

“I can’t believe you went through with it, though,” Finnick shared. He and Thom both knew the real story and the rules Katniss and he had set in the beginning. When Peeta had admitted it would be a sexless marriage, both Finn and Thom had laughed at him and gave their condolences. His friends thought he was crazy for going through with the marriage in the first place, but were even more shocked when they learned Peeta agreed to being celibate. Although Peeta knew it was going to be hard, his dreams and goals were more important to him. He would even take his friends’ jokes (“So, next to having blue eyes, he will now also have blue balls!”) with good humour if it meant having the Presidential Palace as an office one day.

“It was the right decision,” Peeta said firmly. “The political blogs have posted some nice articles about our marriage and that puts Dubois’s campaign in a positive light. We just need to butter up the voters with our lovey-dovey crap, and when Gloss gets elected in two years, Everdeen and I can pull the plug. If necessary. Until then, I’ll get to enjoy amazing sex.”

“Nice plan,” Finnick, said dryly. “Really thought through.”

“It works for us,” Peeta smirked, drinking some of his beer.

Thom lifted his beer, apparently wanting to make a toast. "To amazing sex."

Peeta and Finnick follwed his lead and repeated their friend's words, before gulping down their drinks.

 

* * *

 

 

Gloss DuBois felt like his campaign was being overshadowed by his opponent’s, so he demanded that Peeta and Katniss would use their popular relationship to get his face in the papers. It turned out the people of Panem really liked the romantic tale Peeta and Katniss had told them when they decided to stay married: the one of two star-crossed lovers, who couldn’t be together because they were colleagues, but who decided that their love was more important than their careers were.

That’s how Peeta found himself with Katniss at an Italian restaurant enjoying a lasagne and a fancy bottle of wine, right before they were going to ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Musical’. His wife looked gorgeous in a simple white green dress; he was just a mere afterthought in his blue dress shirt next to her.    

Conversation was easy and enjoyable, and Peeta felt himself relax after an intense workweek. He had been looking forward to the evening ever since they’d planned it. It wasn’t just because he had wanted to try the new restaurant out for a while, or because he was a huge sucker for musicals, but because he always had a good time with Katniss. Even if it was on their couch watching ‘Brooklyn 99’ or when they went for a stroll around the neighbourhood – hell, even going to the post office with Katniss was fun. Being with her was the highlight of his day.

Peeta told Katniss about the winter breaks he’d spend in Snowdrop Cliffs over dinner, the province that was known for its snowy mountains that were the perfect setting for some amazing skiing, and where the Mellarks had a cabin they used every winter with the Undersees. “When we were sixteen, Madge and I had the clever idea to go do an early New Year’s dive in a lake that hadn’t frozen over yet,” Peeta shared. “We were emboldened and warmed by some glasses of my dad’s scotch that we’d stolen, and jumped into the freezing water in our underwear. We had to cut the vacation short that year – we both got hypothermia and pneumonia.”

Katniss laughed a light, joyful sound, and leaned across the table to hold his hand.

“Yes, it’s funny _now_ , but at that moment—well, not so much,” Peeta smiled as Katniss softly stroked his thumb with her own.

“God, then maybe my boring Christmas breaks may not have been that bad after all,” she joked. “Just making a lot of food, eating said food, and making some snowmen and angels. And carolling, of course.”

“Of course,” he winked. “But, please tell me you at least wore some ugly Christmas sweaters every year.”

“Come on, Mellark. Obviously,” she smiled, a faint blush colouring her countenance. “It’s not really Christmas without those.”

Peeta laughed. “Holy crap, you didn’t just _wear_ those sweaters, you actually _made_ them yourself, didn’t you?”

“Prim still hasn’t forgiven me,” she confirmed, still smiling brightly, and still holding his hand with hers.

At that moment Peeta heard the sound of a picture being taken, and when he turned to the sound, he saw some pap putting down his camera.

Katniss was a master in the game they played; she knew exactly what the people wanted, how to give it to them and how it could benefit herself. First she had taken a ‘ _Date night with my amazing husband’_ selfie and posted it on her Twitter, then she’d made sure that they would get the window table in the restaurant, and of course she’d held his hand at the right moment for some paparazzi to take a romantic photo of them. Peeta wouldn’t be surprised if Katniss had called the pap herself.

“Do you want to split a dessert or have that cheesecake all to yourself?” Katniss asked, teasingly, bringing him back from his thoughts.

Peeta tried to give her a smile, but it was only a ghost of the one that had lit up his eyes in joy earlier. “No, I was thinking that maybe we should go and grab a coffee at the theatre? We don’t want to be late.”

“Yes, of course,” she squeezed his hand before she pulled back her own.

Peeta’s suddenly felt a little cold.

 

* * *

 

 

A week after their date the night was spend on their comfortable couch, watching some TV. Peeta grabbed a couple of beers during the commercial break, and when he returned, Katniss propped up her feet in his lap.

Katniss had just gotten out of the shower, had traded her fancy work outfit for some sweatpants, her contacts for her spectacles, and had braided her hair. Peeta preferred this natural look over her styled one, where her hair was in a tight knot and her own unique scent was covered in a perfume. Peeta adored her messy braids, her makeup-less face, and even her geeky glasses. It probably should’ve been concerning, Peeta having a favourite look for Katniss and all, but he was too tired from a busy day at work to care.

Katniss successfully broke his train of thought when she pressed her heel in his thigh, silently asking for his attention. “I was wondering—“ she started, “I got a text from my sister today, and she has a week off next month – would you mind if she spend it here?”

“In our apartment? With us?”

“Yes, I haven’t seen Prim in a few months, and we have a spare room, so I figured she could,” Katniss answered. “She’d be coming with Rue, her girlfriend.”

“Don’t you think Prim will think it’s weird that, you know, we’re _sharing_ a room? I mean, she knows we’re fake married.”

Katniss rolled her eyes and took a sip from her beer. “She’ll probably give me some grief about it, yes. But as long as _we’re_ _quiet_ , my sister won’t mind,” she winked playfully, and laughed.

Peeta couldn’t help the chuckle that left his lips, before turning serious again. “I could just stay at Finnick’s. Or even Madge’s, if that made things less awkward,” he offered.

“No, don’t be ridiculous,” Katniss protested, shaking her head. “Besides, Prim wants to meet you.”

“Really?” Peeta asked, surprised.

Peeta could’ve sworn Katniss’s cheeks reddened, but it also could’ve been his own imagination playing tricks on him. “Yes, of course my sister wants to meet the man I’m living with,” his wife answered.

“Even if that man is your fake husband?” Peeta asked, smiling amused.

“ _Especially_ when he’s my fake husband,” Katniss smirked, before their conversation got interrupted by the buzz of Peeta’s cell.

“Oh, fuck,” he cursed when he’d read the string of texts.

“What?” Katniss asked, averting her attention from the ‘Law and Order’ episode they’d been watching, to look back at him.

“I forgot I promised Finn I would go bar hopping with him and some others,” Peeta answered, while typing a reply. “He’s asking me what’s taking so long.”

“Then you should probably change,” she smiled, eyeing his gym shorts, and Peeta tickled the ball of her foot in retaliation, successfully making her squeal.

When he left ten minutes later, in jeans and a blue shirt, she kissed him goodbye. Katniss pressed her lips against his, short, but firm, and it was nothing special, but it was nice.  

Peeta licked his lips. “Don’t wait up for me.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Mellark,” Katniss joked, smiling, and she crammed a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

“You wouldn’t listen anyway,” he snorted.

 

* * *

 

 

“Damn, Peet. Did that guy kill your dog or something?”

Peeta looked up from the tall, dark and handsome man who was shamelessly flirting with his wife. Peeta tried to compose his glare into a look of indifference when he met Finnick’s eyes. “Sorry?”

Finnick pointed at Gale, the man who was trying to chat up his wife, with the scotch he was holding. “Seemed like an explanation as to why you were sending that dude those daggers.”

Peeta huffed. “I wasn’t,” he simply lied.

Finnick rolled his eyes. “You were. But, why? Are you jealous?”

He and Katniss were at one of his parents’ fancy parties networking with important politicians, catching up with friends and Peeta’s family, and drinking the expensive booze. And apparently flirting with random himbos, too – if Peeta should believe his wife.

First he’d quite enjoyed himself. God knew how (or why), but Katniss actually got along with his parents, so the conversation the four of them had about musicals had been fun. And then they’d run into Finnick and Annie, who his parents had also invited, which had been even more fun. They split up after Katniss saw some media mogul he wanted to persuade to become Dubois’ newest campaign donator, and Peeta ran into his godfather.

And now he saw Katniss across the room flirting with Gale.  

“Of course not. I have no reason to be,” Peeta said through gritted teeth, witnessing the way Gale did the cliché laughing-at-your-bad-jokes-and-then-softly-touching-your-arm flirting thing.

“That’s indeed what you keep telling yourself. But, is it true?” Finnick questioned, and the look in his eyes was far too knowing.

“Of course it’s true,” Peeta snapped, ignoring the few heads that turned around in curiosity. “I know what you’re getting at and it’s ridiculous. Everything between Kat and I is _business as usual_ ,” he whispered so eavesdroppers wouldn’t hear. 

Peeta could see Finnick wanted to disagree some more, but his friend swallowed those words instead. “If it’s not – that wouldn’t be horrible, mate. You told me I deserve happiness, and I meant it when I said you deserve it as well.”

“Thanks, Finnick,” Peeta said in a quiet tone, and he drank some of his gin to have something to do. He gave his friend a well-practiced smile. “But, it’s no feelings with Everdeen. Only two years of great sex, remember?” he added a playful wink.

But, Finnick wasn’t buying what he was trying to sell.

 

-

 

Peeta’s sour mood had only grown after his conversation with Finnick, and Katniss was the one who had to deal with it the rest of the evening. The car ride home was a quiet one where Peeta shot down every attempt Katniss made at conversation and he just stared out of the window, irritated, while she drove them home.

“Do you want some tea? Or coffee?” Katniss asked when they came home.

“No, I’m going to take a shower and then head to bed,” Peeta answered, already making his way to their bathroom, not sparring Katniss a second (or first) glance.

“Do you want me to take care of your suit?” she offered.

“No,” he answered curtly. He stepped into the bathroom and did something he hadn’t for months; he locked the door behind him.

Under the warm water Peeta tried to wash away the filthiness and his bad mood. His thoughts kept going back to Katniss and Gale, and all it did was make him even more upset and create a pit in his stomach for an unknown reason.

What Peeta and Katniss had wasn’t real, so why was he feeling this way? It was just a mutually beneficial career move and good sex – nothing more. 

He couldn’t even enjoy the eucalyptus scented body soap Katniss had gotten him, and he loved that stuff, so he turned off the water and got out.   

When Katniss joined him in their bed half an hour later he tried to ignore her and the kisses she softly pressed on his neck. “You okay, Peeta?” she sounded worried when he barely reacted after she kissed a ticklish spot.

“Finnick and I had an argument,” he whispered. It was only half a lie.

He could feel the rise and fall of her chest against his back and he wished it wasn’t as comforting as it felt. 

“You want to talk about it?” she asked.

“No, I want to sleep.”

 

***

 

All the pieces fell in place at work when he saw Katniss’s phone light up with an incoming call from Gale the next morning – and it hit him like a ton of bricks. Katniss excused herself to take the call and Peeta was left with Johanna, discussing some new poll numbers.

Peeta wanted to smack his own forehead for being so slow and oblivious.

But, in his defence it had happened quite gradually – so gradually that Peeta just hadn’t noticed it. The changes were so subtle, he hadn’t recognised them for what they were: signs that he’d grown fonder of Katniss until fond turned into need and like turned into love.

Everdeen eventually turned into Kat, kisses were exchanged when they said their goodbyes, Peeta always brought back Katniss’s favourite cereal from the store, and Katniss DVRed ‘The Great British Bake Off’ for him when he had to miss the newest episode. 

Peeta’s realisation killed the last sliver of cheerfulness he’d woken up with that morning and he could practically feel the dark storm clouds fill his eyes and mind. In the remaining part of the workday he bit off everyone’s head who disagreed with him and walked over everyone who was in his way. Gone was the level headed and rational man.

“Do you want to tell me what’s crawled up your ass and died?” Katniss asked, annoyed, later that afternoon.

Peeta put his coat on the coatrack and forcefully dumped his briefcase on the floor, before taking place on their couch.

“So, you’re just going to ignore me now?” she asked angrily, while he was flipping through an old National Geographic magazine.

“Yes, because I don’t feel like talking with you right now. I just want to read this article about Pluto and drink a beer.”

“Fine,” she sighed, relenting after a beat. “I’m going out. I’ll see you later tonight.”

“Sure,” he said, eyes still trained on the National Geographic he wasn’t reading.

Katniss was gone for hours. Hours wherein his newly discovered feelings broke Peeta’s heart in a million pieces, because he knew how Katniss felt about him. Just as an opportunity for her career, and nothing more. She hadn’t been secretive about that.

Peeta spend all of those hours in talking himself out of his feelings for his fake wife, wondering what the hell she was up to, and getting more and more upset with himself for falling for the woman he once so disliked and wasn’t supposed to fall for. But, he was even angrier with Katniss for leaving him and not telling him what she was doing. She was always honest with him.

Which meant she could only be doing one thing – Gale.

Peeta confirmed his own suspicions when Katniss came back at ten o’clock with a bottle of expensive scotch. Dalmore, 7 years old. His favourite liquor, from a good year. Peeta didn’t even know how she knew.

“We’re done,” he heard himself say, while he glared at the perfect apology his was wife holding. Peeta saw the bottle drop from Katniss’s chest to her hip. “I’m done playing house with you.”

“What the fuck?” Katniss asked, and when Peeta looked back up at her he saw shock and anger displayed on her face.

“This whole thing was ridiculous – I can’t believe I thought this was a good idea!” Peeta started, heatedly. “Or that you agreed to do this. But, I’m not going to waste at least two years of my life on this scam! I don’t care if it’ll otherwise take longer to become President. And my mother can go fuck herself!” he added, in near hysterics.

“What?! Peeta, where is this coming from?” Katniss demanded, confused, and still angry.

“Let’s just say Gale opened my eyes,” Peeta said, and he couldn’t help his bitter tone. Or the daggers he was sending Katniss with his eyes. He focused on the anger inside of him, instead of the sadness or the jealousy. “Go on and have your fun with him. We’re getting a divorce.”

“Peeta, stop. What’s going on? Last week we we’re fine. More than fine, even. Just calm down and explain what happened,” Katniss her voice had an edge of desperation to it, but Peeta walked away to grab his coat and briefcase. “Don’t do this, Peeta. We have a good thing going on—“

“What we have is bullshit and you know it! Let’s just save ourselves wasted years. I’m sorry,” he interjected before he left and slammed the door behind him. 

His tears fell freely when he drove off in his car.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please notify me if you found any mistakes. And maybe some pointers on the smut, or other scenes? :)
> 
> Would love to hear what you girls and guys thought & felt :D xx


	3. Chapter 3

Just like the morning after his wedding night, Peeta woke up with an insane hangover.

After he’d left Katniss, he drove straight to Finnick’s. Thankfully his friend was home to take care of the mess Peeta was, and he did so with a listening ear and a bottle of bourbon. As in true Finnick fashion he gave Peeta his shoulder to cry on, a couch to crash on, and never once said “I told you so”. Finnick could be ridiculously annoying and smug sometimes, but Peeta knew he could always count on his friend when he needed to.

“God, please tell me your head is pounding just as badly as mine,” Finnick groaned, rubbing his brow in pure misery when he walked into the living room that morning.

Peeta sat up straight and stretched out his arms, feeling like someone was torturing his brain with about a thousand needles. “No, Finn, you’re not suffering all by yourself.”

“Good,” Finnick grinned. “Let’s get some caffeine in our system,” he decided. “And carbs.”

He watched Finnick making them some toast, while Peeta sat at the kitchen counter drinking the coffee he himself had made them. Watching Finnick making them breakfast reminded him of Katniss, and that made his heart ache. They both were lousy cooks, with Finnick mostly living of takeout and Katniss having burned almost every one of the meals she tried to cook for him. Peeta was wondering what Katniss was doing now, feared she was with someone else, but reminded himself it wasn’t any of his business.

Peeta suddenly realised Finnick probably had scheduled a full day ahead of him, a day he was now disrupting with his broken heart. “What did you have planned for today?” he asked.

“I wanted to go to the office and the gym, but nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow if you need me,” Finnick answered, while handing him a plate with toast and some fruit.

“Thanks,” Peeta tried to smile, but it was a weak attempt. “No, I’ll be fine. And don’t worry – I’ll be out of your hair soon,” he added. “I’m going to a hotel for a while..”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Peet,” his friend objected. “You know you don’t have to leave. You can stay as long as you need to.”

This time Peeta’s smile did reach his eyes. “I know Odair. Because you’re the best friend anyone could ever wish for. But, I’m getting a _divorce_ , and I’ll be homeless for God knows how long..” he sighed. “I can’t invade your apartment for months until I find myself something else. And no offense, Finn,” he quickly spoke up when he saw that the redhead was going to disagree again, “but your couch is a piece of shit. I’m pretty sure it gave me arthritis,” he rotated his neck and whimpered when his muscles protested in pain. 

Finnick rolled his eyes, but smiled amused. “That’s a little excessive, but yeah, it’s old as fuck. I already had it in college.”

“I _know_ ,” Peeta grinned, thinking back about their shared college days at Panem University. 

They continued eating, and the caffeine and toast Peeta was inhaling like his life depended on it, made about half of the stabbing needles inside of his skull disappear. “You’ll be my lawyer, right?” he eventually asked, softly. 

“Of course. If you want me to,” Finnick said, and Peeta nodded in thanks.

“Then could you maybe start that whole divorce process – or whatever it’s called – asap?”

Finnick stared at him for a beat. “As your lawyer I assure you everything will be taken care of, but as your _bestest and wisest_ friend,” he quipped, making Peeta let out a snort, “I’m going to ask you if you’re sure about this?”

Peeta’s gaze dropped from his friend’s to the empty coffee cup in his hands. “It was only a marriage of convenience, nothing more, and it wasn’t supposed to last anyway. We got out of it what we wanted – positive press for Gloss’s campaign. So, why shouldn’t I be sure?”

“Because you’re in love with her,” Finnick stated, making Peeta cringe. Being reminded of his feelings for Katniss felt like someone was pressing on a nasty bruise. 

“I’m pretty sure she cheated, Finnick,” he whispered, feeling defeated. And still hungover.

“Pretty sure is not the same thing as knowing,” his (supposedly) ‘bestest and wisest’ friend pointed out, calmly.

Peeta sighed and played with his wedding ring. “True,” he granted.

*

That night Peeta was lying in a cold, empty hotel bed, wondering how the hell he ended up in there. In some flashy hotel for undetermined time, with some new outfits he bought that day so he at least had some clean work clothes for the next couple of days, regretting his life choices…

He never really minded sleeping alone, not even when he’d been dating Clove, but sleep didn’t come easily that night. Peeta had gotten used to falling asleep with Katniss curled around him, her warmth warming him, her heartbeat and rhythmic breathing lulling him to sleep.

Peeta blinked away a few stubborn tears, knowing he made the right decision. It wasn’t healthy, or fair to himself, to stay with Katniss and pretend it was something it wasn’t and therefor denying himself happiness that was real and would last. He took a couple of deep breaths, willing himself to calm down. Tomorrow he would see Katniss again (and God only knew how that was going to go) and have one hell of a workload waiting on him.

He could use all the sleep he got, so he tried to fall asleep again.

Peeta finally dozed off an hour later.

 

* * *

 

 

Katniss ignored Peeta completely when he came in, looked away when he spoke, and didn’t meet his eyes when she did. However, her gaze definitely landed on him when he suggested Clove Mayer should be Gloss’s Vice President and enter his ticket.

Clove was from the province of Thornehill, and had risen to power at a very young age. She’d always been interested in politics, was ambitious, and very popular with her people. Peeta knew this because he’d known Clove for years – they’d even dated 4 years ago. Clove was intelligent, driven, compassionate, and strong willed – exactly what had attracted Peeta to the brunette in the first place, and it was exactly why Clove would be a great VP.

Katniss disagreed.

Wholeheartedly, and she wasn’t afraid to show it.

Peeta suspected the majority of her rage had everything to do with _him_ , and with him breaking their agreement by walking out on her, and not with Clove entering Gloss’s ticket, but he didn’t know how to deal with that just yet. However, he did know how to deal with him disagreeing with her, so he chose that fight instead.

“What do you mean Clove is _unfit_ to be VP?” Peeta challenged. “She’s well educated and has tons of experience in politics—“

“Abernathy would be a much better fit and you know it, Mellark. You only want Clove Mayer because you had the hots for her back in the day—“

“ _Excuse me_?!” he couldn’t believe she would say such a thing. How could she question his motives for choosing a _candidate for VP_? And by being _so_ horribly unprofessional. “That has absolutely nothing to do with it!”

 _“No_?” Katniss looked like she was going to laugh at him. “Because I honestly can’t see why _Mayer_ would be the better person for the job,” she uttered Clove’s name as if it made her sick. “She’s known for only caring about her own people, her own province, and making immoral deals. Abernathy has his values in check—“ 

“What about councilwoman Alma Coin?” Delly suggested, desperately trying to bring back the peace in the office.

“Clove’s made mistakes, yes, but so has Abernathy. She’s not a bad person and she’s very popular all throughout the country,” Peeta tried, crossing his arms and standing his ground.

“Yeah, let’s pick someone because they’re _popular_ ,” Katniss spit sarcastically, and she rolled her eyes at Peeta condescendingly. It only fuelled his anger. “Why go for someone capable and respected when we can go for someone _cool_ and _popular_?”

“No, we want someone progressive, Delly,” Thresh answered the assistant, who was being ignored by Katniss and Peeta. “Coin is just a well-bred conservative.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up, Everdeen!” Peeta raged, hands angrily balled up into fists. “I don’t know what your fucking problem with Clove is, but you need to get your head out of your ass—“

“I do not have my head—“ she yelled back.

“—and admit that she’s the best candidate!” Peeta finished, with a raised voice and an glare gracing his features.  

“Goddamn, I thought now that you two were fucking and had resolved your sexual tension, the rest of us could finally work in peace,” Johanna commented, dry.

“Shut up, Johanna!” they both yelled at the same time, and Peeta ignored the way the blood rushed to his ears. 

“What about Glimmer Sandé?” Delly suggested.

“I’m the Campaign Manager!” Katniss began. “And the best thing for this campaign is going for Abernathy, _Mellark!”_ she spit, eyes fuming and nostrils flaring.

“Sandé is from the same province as Gloss, so they’re not allowed to run together,” Thresh answered Delly. 

Peeta paid no attention to anyone but Katniss, so he continued with their heated discussion. “Congrats, but I’m still the _Chief of Staff_ —“

“Yeah, and we all know how you got that job,” she mocked, spiteful. “By means of daddy’s money and mommy’s connections.”

Thresh choked on his coffee, resulting into a coughing fit, and Peeta could see out the corner of his eyes that Delly’s jaw dropped in shock. Everyone knew who Peeta’s parents were, but no one gave him shit about it anymore (if they even had the guts to do so) because he earned his place at Gloss’s side. He’d proven himself and everyone knew you better not cross Peeta Mellark.

He pat Thresh his back and looked angrily at Katniss. “Good one. It doesn’t change the fact that the job’s still mine, though.”

Katniss her lips were pressed in a thin line, but in her grey eyes Peeta recognised something close to regret. Before anyone could say something else, Gloss came back from his meeting and entered his office.

“What’s going on here?” he demanded, quickly picking up on the tension in the room.

“We were just discussing VP candidates for your ticket,” Peeta explained.

Gloss nodded. “I already made the decision. I’m going with Abernathy,” he announced.

Peeta expected Katniss to make a smart comment or to give herself a pat on the back for her victory, but she did no such thing. She just nodded at Gloss and left the room, telling their boss she’d make the calls.

Katniss didn’t spare Peeta a second glance.

 

* * *

 

 

A week later Finnick was hosting a game night at his place which gave Peeta the opportunity for some stress baking. Now that Peeta didn’t have his own kitchen at his disposal, he had to make do with chances like these. Finnick agreed to lend his kitchen to Peeta in return for red velvet cupcakes and a Sacher-Torte.

Thom picked him up to go the grocery store where his friend would get some booze for that night.

“So, my mom gave me an earful,” Peeta shared when he put some eggs in his grocery basket.

“As expected,” his friend commented.

Peeta made a face of agreement. “I told her to shut the fuck up. Everyone will forget about my divorce the minute the next scandal hits.”

“Nice.” 

Peeta was lost in thought for a moment, letting out a sigh before he spoke again. “It won’t take long to get over Katniss,” he said it with as much conviction as he could muster, hoping it looked and sounded believable. “She was so annoying to live with – she’s such a slob, every week we had to watch ‘Secrets of the Pacific Ocean’ on National Geographic and she’s obsessed with her plants – she barely lets me _look_ at them,” he huffed, while walking over to grab some cocoa; the last item on his list. “Nope, I won’t miss that one bit,” he lied.

Thom was about to reply, when someone nearby said, “Are you Peeta Mellark?!”, starting the both of them.

A woman a few years younger than Peeta and Thom stormed up to them. Her long, blonde hair was in a ponytail that angrily swayed from side to side, her grey blue eyes revealed that she was ready to end Peeta and even though she was petite, Peeta had no doubt she could. He immediately recognised her from the photos Katniss had shown him – it was her sister, Primrose Everdeen.

It had completely slipped his mind that Prim was supposed to visit that week.

“Primrose,” he breathed, surprised.

“You bet your ass I am! Who in the hell do you think you are?” the blonde woman shouted, angrily pointing her slim finger in Peeta’s face. “You think you got the right to treat people like crap because you feel like it? That you can use people and toss them aside when they become useless to you?”

Peeta sucked in a breath, shocked, and then glared at the shouting woman in front of him. “You have absolutely _no_ idea what the fuck you’re talking about!”  

“The hell I do!” Prim shot back. “You’re just a dick—“ 

“Okay, that’s enough,” Thom said firmly and he came to stand between Peeta and Prim. “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t care, but don’t call my friend a dick! Why don’t you get the hell out of here and mind your own business?”

“This _is_ my business!” the woman shot back, angry.

A bystander caught Peeta’s attention when he noticed the man aiming his cell phone at them – it was quite the scene Prim was causing, and Peeta knew the blogs would eat this shit up. That was the last thing he needed; another scandal to his name. “Come on, Thom. Let’s go,” he grabbed his friend’s elbow and quickly dragged him away from Katniss’ sister before things would escalate even further. Prim let them go, thank God, but only after yelling something obscene. 

“So, that was Katniss her sister?” Thom asked when they were out of earshot.

“Yes. Great first meeting, huh?” Peeta tried to joke, but his voice didn’t quite hit that teasing tone he was aiming for.

They made their way over to the register. Peeta was eager to leave the store, get some baking done and get drunk.

He completely forgot the cocoa.

 

* * *

 

 

Peeta didn’t see Prim again after running into her that day at the store and he didn’t see much of Katniss either since she had taken two days off of work to spend time with her sister. Without her as a constant distraction work was going smoothly. His personal life however was still a mess.

Peeta had stayed at the hotel for almost three weeks at that point when he decided it was time to get back to the apartment to grab some of his stuff. He couldn’t keep buying new clothes when the ones he had got dirty, and Peeta wanted to grab the copy of ‘Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ that he’d gotten from his beloved grandfather for his sixteenth birthday; he liked having the novel close by. He planned on going back Saturday afternoon, when Katniss was at the archery range. Peeta was still too much of a chicken to face her, but he knew he had to do so soon. Not only because Finnick was almost done with the divorce papers, but also to hash things out with Katniss so they could go back to having a normal, drama free and effective working relationship. 

When Peeta unlocked the apartment’s door and walked in, he was astonished, to say the least.

The once spotless and tidy home was now a complete mess: dishes were all over the open kitchen, Katniss her clothes were covering the hardwood floor, _the plants were about to call it quits_ and, a layer of dust had settled over the central heating.

Peeta was about to head into the master bedroom to grab some clothes and other essentials, when he heard someone slip the key into the lock and open the door behind him. When he turned around he saw Katniss, sweaty from her workout, with a dishevelled braid and dark circles under her eyes.

“Hi,” he whispered.

“Hey,” Katniss said, unable to hide her surprise in seeing him there.

“I thought you’d be—“ Peeta started at the same time she began saying, “What are you doing—“

Silence. Peeta could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest. “Picking up some clothes,” he answered after a beat where the both of them just looked at one another. Katniss looked uncomfortable and somewhat sorrowful, but not mad; surprisingly.

Katniss her grey eyes were boring so intensively into his, he had to drop his gaze to avoid her reading what was probably written all over her face. _I miss you._ _I miss talking with you. Laughing with you. Wasting time together on our couch. Sitting on said couch and watching National Geographic together. I miss you, so much._

Peeta turned around, but before he’d made his third step towards his old bedroom, Katniss called out to him. “Peeta, wait. Please.”

It weren’t just the words that made him stop and meet her eyes, it was also her tone. Katniss sounded so— _tired_.

“I—I need to know why you left. Why you left—me. Was it all in my head? I thought we shared something real. I—“ Katniss stumbled through the words, desperate. Her eyes filled with tears, and so did Peeta’s. “I’m so angry at you for leaving, but I don’t want to feel like that anymore. So, I need to hear you say it— I need to move on.”

Peeta sucked in a breath, surprised. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth. “Move on?” he whispered hoarse, confused.

“You owe me an explanation. You can’t just make someone happy and make them care wholeheartedly and then leave them out of the blue,” she said, now visibly upset. “Why did you leave me?” she demanded.

 _Katniss didn’t know._ _How didn’t she know?_ Her words had been so unexpected and elicited so many feelings from Peeta, that he blurted out the first full sentence that came to mind. “Because I’m in love with you!” he exclaimed, voice surprisingly even. The tears in his eyes finally rolled down his face.

Now it was Katniss her turn to be taken aback. Peeta could see she needed to process the information; the wheels were turning in her light grey eyes. She just looked at him, like she was waiting for the punchline; but there wasn’t one.

What came next was a long stretched minute where both Peeta and Katniss were waiting for the other one to say something.

“Say something,” Peeta whispered, begged, and that was what seemed to break the spell Katniss was under.

Katniss took a sudden, deep breath and wiped the tears of her face in a swift motion. “What?” she croaked, still disbelieving.

Peeta shrugged and his lips turned into a small smile. “Yes, I couldn’t believe it either,” he quipped. “But, there I was—In love. With _you_ , Katniss. But, I knew what we had wasn’t real; we’d established that more than once,” he added, now serious. Katniss looked like she was going to say something, but he wasn’t finished yet. “And then I saw you with Gale and I couldn’t play pretend anymore. I didn’t want you to be with him – I wanted you to be with _me_ , but I knew I didn’t have the right to make you do so.”

“No, you don’t have that right, but you could’ve given me the choice,” Katniss swallowed. “You should’ve had.”

“I should’ve had,” Peeta agreed, mournful. “But— _Gale_?” he couldn’t help but ask. He needed to know what had happened between the guy and Katniss.

“There’s nothing going on with Gale – or with anyone else. He just wanted me to invest in a project of his. Something to do with cabins in the Valley District,” Katniss swallowed hard. “It was only ever you, Peeta.”

“So, the date, the scotch, the soap—“ he said. And more of her actions came to mind; the soft kisses, the _Peet_ , how she wanted him to meet her sister. All of the pieces fell into place. He was an idiot.

“C’mon Peeta, you had to have known. I don’t think I was that subtle..”

“I had no idea.. I didn’t even realise how I felt myself,” he replied, honest.

“When did it start?’ she whispered.

“I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”

Katniss let out a snort. “You can’t just quote Jane Austen and expect everything to be all right, you nerd.”

“I know. But, I figured you’d appreciate it nonetheless,” the corner of his mouth curled upwards.

Katniss gave him a small smile back and it lit up his eyes in the most wonderful of ways. The sadness that was there just a moment ago, the sadness _he_ was responsible for, had lessened a bit.

“What about you?” he was curious to know.

She let out a faint chuckle. “It was that night you tried to switch the lightbulb in that stupid lamp. You messed up so bad,” she smiled at the memory. “You electrocuted yourself and then dropped the CFL, breaking it in hundreds of pieces,” Peeta let out a snort and smiled at her, playfully. “You were so upset with the lamp for not going along with your plans and your nose did that cute little thing. That’s when I knew I wasn’t just crushing on you anymore.”

Peeta remembered that moment. It had been about four months or so after they got married. He couldn’t believe it had happened so soon for her. Or that the moment Peeta would always remember as a humiliating one, Katniss would remember as the moment she knew she was in love with him.

“So soon, huh?” he tried to tease, but the overwhelming feeling of relieve and happiness made him smile way too brightly to make it believable.

“Shut up.”

“Make me?” he challenged, but it was still a question. Peeta now knew how much he’d hurt her, so he wanted the ball to be in her court. Katniss would get the choice now.

She chose him.

Katniss wrapped her slender arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. Peeta’s hands found their rightful place at her hips, pulling her even closer. Her lips were warm and felt wonderful against his. Katniss felt like home.

Peeta had kissed her hundreds of times before, but it still felt like this was their first one. He knew how Katniss her lips felt against his, how she tasted, how she smelled. He hadn’t forgotten. But now they poured all what they felt in the kiss; there was no more hiding things, there were no more walls. It was gentle and caring and now they both knew _why_. And that made it infinitely better.

The way Peeta’s hands squeezed Katniss her ass made her kiss him a little harder, making him moan. “ _Katniss_ ,” he whispered against her lips.

“ _Peet_.”

He rested his forehead against hers, and they breathed the same air for a moment. “I’m sorry I made you think I didn’t care for you. It’s quite the opposite really – I love you, Peeta.”

The statement made a teardrop leave his eye – Peeta Mellark would’ve never guessed that Katniss Everdeen saying those three words would make him so happy he’d cry over it. Peeta let the lonely tear run its course and softly kissed her lips. “Same,” he promised. 

“I’m so happy you’re back home.”

Peeta let out a sigh, and the weight that he’d been carrying around on his shoulders for the past month finally lifted. “Me too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to do a part 2 in this 'verse! It'll be a Katniss POV fic with her side of the story and an epilogue :)  
> So, if you have any questions/suggestions leave them below and I'll try to answer/use them in part 2! 
> 
> As always, I hope you liked - it certainly was a lot of fun writing it :D xx

**Author's Note:**

> [I made a lil aesthetic for this fic that you can find here](https://goldenlotusdreamer.tumblr.com/) :D Or if you were wondering if you could hmu on tumblr, yes, you can. It's the same link :)


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